Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture to use biometric sensors to control an orientation of a display

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for a portable electronic device that uses biometric content to determine an orientation in which a display device is presenting content are disclosed. Example electronic devices include a display device, a biometric sensor to capture a biometric sample, and an orientation determination tool to determine a device orientation relative to a user based on the biometric sample. Example devices further include an orientation adjustment tool to change a content orientation in which the display device of the portable electronic device presents content based on the determination of the device orientation of the at least one of the display device and the portable electronic device. In some examples, the biometric sensor is a fingerprint sensor or an image sensor.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to portable electronic devices, and,more particularly, to using a biometric sensor to control an orientationof a display of a portable electronic device.

BACKGROUND

Portable electronic devices having a display are typically capable ofchanging the orientation in which content/information is presented onthe display device. Positional sensors, installed in the portableelectronic devices, use one or more methods to identify a position ororientation of the device. Such methods can include motion sensors,gravitational sensors, accelerometers, magnetic field sensors, animaging sensor, etc. In response to the positioning information obtainedby the positional sensors, a display device controller controls anorientation at which information is to be presented on thedisplay/screen. Thus, when a user is holding the portable electronicdevice in an upright orientation, the display device controller causesthe information to be presented in an upright orientation (verticalorientation) on the display/screen. When the user is holding theportable electronic device turned in a horizontal orientation (e.g.,about 90° from the vertical position), the display device controllercauses the information to be presented in a horizontal orientation(horizontally oriented) on the display/screen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example portable electronic devicehaving an example biometric-based display orientation controller thatuses biometric information to control an orientation at whichinformation is presented on a display device.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the example biometric-based orientationcontroller of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 shown in a first orientation, a second orientation, a thirdorientation, and a fourth orientation.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a first (upright vertical) orientation relativeto a user.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a second (left side up, horizontal) orientationrelative to a user.

FIG. 4C is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a third (upside down, vertical) orientationrelative to a user.

FIG. 4D is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a fourth (right side up, horizontal) orientationrelative to a user.

FIG. 5 is an example set of biometric training data.

FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 2 positioned in a first orientation relative to a user.

FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a second orientation relative to a user.

FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a third orientation relative to a user.

FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram of the example portable electronic deviceof FIG. 1 positioned in a fourth orientation relative to a user.

FIG. 7 is an example flow chart representative of example machinereadable instructions which may be executed to implement the examplebiometric-based orientation controller of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart representative of example machine readableinstructions which may be executed to implement the examplebiometric-based orientation controller of FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart representative of example machine readableinstructions which may be executed to implement the example portableelectronic device having an example biometric-based orientationcontroller of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example processor platform capable ofexecuting the instructions of FIGS. 7, 8 and/or 9 to implement theexample portable electronic device and the example orientation-basedcontroller of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The figures are not to scale. Wherever possible, the same referencenumbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying writtendescription to refer to the same or like parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Portable electronic devices having a display device includehardware/software configured to control an orientation of informationpresented on the display device. Positional sensors, installed (orotherwise integrated) in the portable electronic devices, use one ormore methods to identify a position or orientation of the electronicdevice. Such methods can include motion sensors, accelerometers,magnetic field sensors, gravitational sensors, etc. A display devicecontroller uses positioning information supplied by the positionalsensors to control an orientation at which information is to bedisplayed/presented on the display device. Thus, when a user is holdingthe portable electronic device in a vertical, upright orientation, thedisplay device controller causes the displayed content/information to bepresented in a vertical, upright position. When the user is holding theportable electronic device turned on its right side in a horizontalorientation, the display device controller causes the displayedinformation to appear turned on its right side in a horizontalorientation, etc.

Unfortunately, existing methods and technologies to control theorientation of information presented on the display device can be clumsyat times and even detract from the user's viewing experience. Inparticular, some portable electronic devices are configured to enter abattery-conserving, lock mode when not in use for a threshold durationof time. Such devices are configured to monitor input informationsupplied on one or more input devices over time. When there is anabsence of input information for a threshold amount of time, theoperating system enters a lock mode in which the display screen turnsoff and the user is unable to access the device. To subsequently unlockthe electronic device, the user activates an input device (e.g., pressesa button), thereby causing a security verification message to bedisplayed on the screen. In some devices, the security verificationmessage prompts the user to provide security information (e.g., anumeric code, a swipe pattern, a fingerprint verification) that, whenverified by the device, causes the device to become unlocked and, thus,accessible to the user. In some portable electronic devices, theorientation of the security display message is set to be displayed in avertical, upright orientation/position regardless of the positioncurrently occupied by the electronic device. Thus, if the user isholding the device in a horizontal position when the securityverification message is displayed, the user must to turn the device backto the vertical upright orientation/position to enter thesecurity/verification code.

In some existing electronic devices, the orientation of the securitydisplay message is set to appear in an orientation that matches theorientation of the electronic device at the time that the electronicdevice became locked due to user inactivity. Thus, if information isbeing displayed in a horizontal position at the time of deviceinactivation (due to lack of user input), the security verificationmessage will be displayed in a horizontal position when the usersubsequently attempts to re-activate the device (e.g., presses an inputof the device). However, the user may have re-oriented the electronicdevice while the electronic device was inactive causing the securityverification message to appear in an orientation/position that doesn'talign with the current orientation position of the device/user. In suchcircumstances, the user must either turn the electronic device to anorientation that matches the display orientation and/or manuallyactivate the motion/position sensors by moving/jiggling the device toeffect re-orientation of the displayed message. Depending on the viewinghabits of the user, manual activation of the position sensors and/orre-orienting the electronic device may be required many times a day andeven many times an hour which causes further user frustration.

Some portable electronic devices are configured to change theorientation of the display, as needed, to match the position currentlyoccupied by the device. Thus, the display automatically moves from anupright orientation to a horizontal orientation when user turns thedevice from an upright orientation to a horizontal orientation, and viceversa. However, existing positional sensors do not always properlydetect the change in the orientation of the device, thereby requiringthe user to manually jiggle (or otherwise move) the device until the newposition is sensed. Unfortunately, the position sensors may overreact tothe movement causing the display to oscillate between severalorientations before settling on an orientation that matches theorientation of the portable electronic device. In such circumstances,the user must simply wait until the position sensors are able to settleon the proper orientation and adjust the display orientationaccordingly. Having to wait for the display to settle can also lend touser frustration. Thus, there is a need for improved methods, apparatus,and articles of manufacture to adjust a display orientation based on anorientation of an electronic device.

Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture disclosed hereindetermine an orientation of a portable electronic device relative to auser based on biometric information (e.g., fingerprints, facial images,etc.) Portable electronic devices employing the technology disclosedherein include biometric sensors configured to collect biometricinformation from a user. The biometric information is then used toidentify an orientation of the device relative to the user. In someexamples, a fingerprint sensor collects a fingerprint of the user andthe fingerprint is used to identify the orientation of the portableelectronic device. An orientation at which the display is currentlycausing information to be displayed is then determined. If alignmentbetween the device orientation and the display orientation is confirmed,then re-orientation of the display is not performed. If alignment is notconfirmed, re-orientation of the display is performed. In some examples,the fingerprint is collected when the user presses an input of theelectronic device in an attempt to cause the electronic device to becomeactive. The electronic device compares the orientation of thefingerprint to a set of previously captured fingerprints and, based onthe comparison, determines whether the orientation of the device alignswith the current orientation of the display. The orientation of thedisplay is then adjusted based on the determination. In some examples,the orientation of the portable electronic device is based on an imageof the user collected by an image sensor (e.g., camera) disposed on thedevice. Facial recognition techniques are applied to the image todetermine an orientation of the device relative to a user. Depending ona subsequent comparison of the device orientation to the displayorientation, the electronic device orients or adjusts the orientation ofthe display to the proper position. Thus, the need to manually move theelectronic device to adjust the display orientation is eliminated and/orgreatly reduced thereby enhancing the user's viewing/interactingexperience. Other advantages of using biometrics to adjust anorientation of a display in a portable electronic device are describedbelow with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example portable electronic device 100having an example biometric-based orientation controller 102 that usesbiometric information to control an orientation at which an exampledisplay device 104 presents information. In some examples, the portableelectronic device 100 includes the biometric-based orientationcontroller 102, the display device 104, an example display devicecontroller 106, an example position/input-based orientation controller108, an example first biometric sensor 110, an example second biometricsensor 112, an example third biometric sensor 114, an exampleposition/motion sensor 116, an example processor 118, example inputdevice(s) 120, example communication device(s) 122, example memorydevice(s) 124 and an example speaker 126 coupled to an example firstcommunication bus 128. The processor 118 of this example receivescontent and/or commands from any of the input devices 120, thecommunication device(s) 122 and/or the memory device(s) 124. In someexamples, the processor 118 transmits content/information to the displaydevice controller 106. The display device controller 106 transforms thecontent/information into a format suitable for presentation on thedisplay device 104 and subsequently sends the transformed content to theposition/input-based orientation controller 108. Theposition/input-based orientation controller 108 controls an orientationat which the content/information is presented on the display device 102(hereinafter referred to as the “display orientation”) based on inputsupplied by the position/motion sensor 116 or by a control commandentered by a user via any of the input devices 120. In some examples,the user can cause the display orientation to be locked in a particularorientation by selecting a lock command presented on the display device104, or by actuating one of the input devices 120. In some cases, thedisplay device 104 is a touch screen having touch sensors such thatinput information can be entered by touching the display device 104.

In some examples, the example first, second and/or third biometricsensors 110, 112, 114 supply biometric samples collected from a user tothe example biometric-based orientation controller 102. The examplebiometric-based orientation controller 102 uses the biometric samples todetermine an orientation of the example portable electronic device 100relative to a user (referred to as the “device orientation”). Inaddition, the biometric-based orientation controller 102 determines anorientation at which the display device 104 is currentlycontent/presenting information (referred to as the “contentorientation”) based on the biometric data collected by the sensors. Ifthe device (e.g., housing) orientation does not match the contentorientation, the biometric-based orientation controller 108 transmits acommand to change the content orientation to the position/input-basedorientation controller 108. The position/input-based orientationcontroller 108 responds to the command by changing the contentorientation. In some examples, the command transmitted by thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 identifies an orientation towhich the displayed content is to be changed. In some examples, theposition/input-based orientation controller 108 transmits informationidentifying the content orientation being used by the display device 104to the biometric-based orientation controller 102. In some examples, thecontent orientation information is transmitted to the biometric-basedorientation controller 102 each time the content orientation changesbased on non-biometric based information (e.g., position/motion),thereby keeping the biometric-based controller 102 informed of thecurrent content orientation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the example biometric-based orientationcontroller 102 of FIG. 1. In some examples, the biometric-basedorientation controller 102 includes an example biometric data processor202, an example biometric data storage 204, an example orientationdetermination tool 206, an example orientation adjustment tool 208, andan example training data builder 210 coupled to an example secondcommunication bus 212. In some examples, the training data builder 210is configured to collect biometric samples from a user for use inbuilding a biometric training data set. The biometric training data setto be collected depends on the type of biometric sensor that is used tocollect the samples. In some examples, the first biometric sensor 110(see FIG. 1) is a fingerprint sensor and the biometric training data setincludes a set of fingerprints. In some examples, the second biometricsensor 112 (see FIG. 1) is an image sensor (e.g., a camera) and thebiometric training data set includes a set of facial images. In someexamples, the processor 118 (see FIG. 1) is configured to inform thebiometric training data builder 210 as to the types of biometric sensors(e.g., the first biometric sensor 110, the second biometric sensor 112,the third biometric sensor 114) (see FIG. 1) available on the portableelectronic device 100 and the biometric training data builder 210 isconfigured to generate a prompt (to be presented by the display device104 or the example speaker 126) asking a user to indicate which of theavailable types of biometric sensors is preferred for use in controllingthe display. In response to the user's selection, the biometric trainingdata builder 210 begins collecting biometric training data for use ingenerating a biometric training data set. In some examples, thebiometric training data builder 210 is configured to build multiplebiometric training data sets corresponding to each of the types ofavailable biometric sensors. Depending on the type of the biometrictraining data set to be built, the example biometric training databuilder 210 generates prompts for presentation to the user on theexample display device 104 (see FIG. 1), or via the example speaker 126(see FIG. 1). The prompts instruct the user to hold the example portableelectronic device 100 in various orientations and to supply biometricsamples based on the orientations.

FIG. 3 illustrates four schematic diagrams of the example portabledevice 100 shown in four example orientations. In some examples, thedisplay device/screen 104, the example fingerprint sensor 110, theexample speaker 126, and the example image sensor 112 are disposed on aface of the portable device 100. Further, the fingerprint sensor 110also operates as an input button that can be pressed by the user toprovide input to the portable electronic device 100. A first deviceorientation/position 302 is an upright orientation. When in the uprightorientation, the height of the portable device 100 is longer than thewidth of the portable device 100. In this orientation, a first side(side 1) of the portable device 100 is on the bottom, a second side(side 2) of the portable device 100 is on the right, a third side (side3) is on the top, and a fourth side (side 4) is on the top. In someexamples, the first orientation/position 302 includes any rotation ofthe device from the vertical upright position to a rotated positionlying within a first arc 310 extending between 225° and 315°. A secondorientation 304 is a horizontal orientation. When in the secondorientation, the width of the portable device 100 is longer than theheight of the portable device 100 and the portable device 100 is rotated90 degrees in a clockwise direction relative to the first orientation.Thus, the first side (side 1) of the portable device 100 is on the leftin the second orientation, the second side (side 2) is on the bottom,the third side (side 3) is on the right, and the fourth side (side 4) ison the top. In some examples, the second orientation/position 304includes any rotation of the portable device 100 along a second arc 315extending between 315° and 45°. A third orientation 306 is an upsidedown orientation in which the height of the portable device 100 islonger than the width of the portable device 100 and the portable device100 is turned upside down relative to the first orientation. In thethird orientation 306, the first side (side 1) of the portable device ison the top, the second side (side 2) is on the left, the third side(side 3) is on the bottom, and the fourth side (side 4) is on the right.In some examples, the third orientation/position 306 includes anyrotation of the portable device 100 along a third arc 320 extending from45° to 135°. A fourth orientation 308 is a horizontal position in whichthe width of the device is longer than the height of the portable device100 and the portable device 100 is rotated 90 degrees from the thirdorientation in a clockwise direction. In the fourth orientation 308, thefirst side (side 1) of the portable device 100 is on the right, thesecond side (side 2) is on the top, the third side (side 3) is on theleft, and the fourth side (side 4) is on the bottom. In some examples,the fourth orientation/position 306 includes any rotation of theportable device 100 along a fourth arc 325 extending between 135° and225°.

During the biometric training data collection process, the promptsgenerated by the biometric training data builder 210 instruct the userto place the portable electronic device 100 in the first orientation 302and to place the user's finger on the fingerprint sensor 110 when inthis orientation. FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D illustrate the exampleportable electronic device 100 occupying each of the first, second,third and fourth orientations 302, 304, 306, 308, respectively, and theplacement of a user's finger on the example fingerprint sensor 110disposed on the face of the portable electronic device 100. In some suchexamples, a first prompt generated by the training data builder 210instructs the user to place the portable electronic device 100 in thefirst orientation 302 and to place the user's finger on the button in asame orientation as the user will place the finger when using theportable device 100 in the first orientation. The biometric trainingdata builder 210 then collects the fingerprint (biometric sample) thatis sensed when the user's finger is placed on the fingerprintsensor/input button 110 while holding the portable electronic device inthe first orientation 302 (see FIG. 4A). In some examples, to accountfor the rotation of the device, the training data builder 210 instructsthe user to rotate the portable device 100 to various positions locatedwithin the first, second, third, and fourth arcs 310, 315, 320 and 325and collects fingerprints at each of the positions. In some examples,the biometric sample is collected from the user when the device is heldin one orientation (e.g., the first orientation) and the training databuilder 210 correlates the collected biometric sample to the firstorientation. In addition, in some such examples, the training databuilder 210 then uses the collected biometric sample to derive a set ofbiometric samples corresponding to the other orientations. For example,the training data builder 210 rotates the collected biometric sample toeach of the remaining set of orientations/positions and saves therotated biometric samples in each such orientation and saves acorresponding orientation identifier.

Referring also to FIG. 5, which illustrates an example biometrictraining data set 500, the example biometric training data builder 210(see FIG. 2) causes the fingerprint to be stored in the examplebiometric data storage 304 as a first biometric data set 502 and alsocauses a first device orientation identifier 504 to be associated withthe first biometric data set in the biometric data storage 204. In someexamples, the training data builder 210 also causes the examplebiometric data processor 202 (see FIG. 2) to process the first-collectedfingerprint. The biometric data processor 202 is configured to processthe collected biometric data (e.g., the fingerprint) by extractingfeatures (e.g., f1, f2, f3) from the biometric data that is stored inthe corresponding biometric data set. The extracted features (f1, f2,f3) are then stored as part of the corresponding biometric data set 502.The features (f1, f2, f3) to be extracted by the biometric dataprocessor 304 are dependent on the type of biometric data collected(e.g., features extracted from a fingerprint may be related to thepattern of the fingerprint, features extracted from a facial image maybe related to the distance between aspects of the face appearing in afacial image, etc.). In some such examples, the example biometrictraining data builder 210 generates a second prompt instructing the userto place the example portable electronic device 100 in the secondorientation 302 (see FIG. 4B) and to place the user's finger on thefingerprint sensor/input button 110 (see FIG. 1) in a fingerposition/orientation in which the user will place the finger whenpressing the button during normal operation (see FIG. 4B). The useragain responds by following the instructions and a second biometric dataset 506 corresponding to the second orientation is collected. Thebiometric training data builder 210 causes a second device orientationidentifier 508 to be associated with the second biometric data set 508in the biometric data storage 204. The biometric training data builder210 continues in this fashion until biometric data sets 512, 514corresponding to each of the third and fourth orientations 306, 308 (seeFIG. 4C and FIG. 4D) have been collected, processed and associated withcorresponding device orientation identifiers 514, 516, thereby resultingin a fully populated biometric training data set 500. In some examples,a user may employ a different finger to generate the biometric data sets502, 506, 510, 512 corresponding to different orientations 302, 304,306, 308 depending on whether the user will employ a different finger tooperate the portable electronic device 100 when the portable electronicdevice 100 is positioned in the different orientations 302, 304, 306,308.

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D illustrate the example portable electronicdevice 100 occupying each of the first, second, third and fourthorientations 302, 304, 306, 308, respectively, and a correspondingfacial image captured on the display while the user is holding theportable electronic device 100 in the corresponding orientation. In someexamples, any of the first, second and third biometric sensors 110, 112,114 may be implemented as an image sensor and the biometric samples usedto build the biometric data set 500 (see FIG. 5) constitute a set offacial images. In some such examples, the prompts generated by theexample biometric training data builder 210 instruct the user to holdthe portable electronic device 100 in each of the set of first, second,third and fourth orientations 302, 304, 306, 308. The prompts mayfurther instruct the user to provide an alert signal when the portableelectronic device 100 is placed in the appropriate orientation byselecting an input (e.g., pressing the fingerprint sensor/input button110, touching the display/touch screen 104, etc.). When the alert signalis received, the biometric training data builder 210 actuates the imagesensor/camera 112 disposed on the face/front of the portable electronicdevice 100. The image captured during sensor actuation is then stored as(at least part of) the first, second, third or fourth biometric data set502, 506, 510, 512 corresponding to the orientation in which theportable electronic device 100 is positioned at the time of imagecapture.

After the biometric training data set 500 is populated, thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 begins controlling theorientation of information presented on the example display device 104.In some examples, the example orientation determination tool 206receives input data (e.g., biometric samples) from the first, secondand/or third biometric inputs 110, 112, 114 and from the biometric datastorage 204 (e.g., biometric data sets, device orientation identifiers).The orientation determination tool 206 uses the received data todetermine a device orientation. In some examples, the orientationdetermination tool 206 determines the device orientation associated witha biometric sample by comparing a biometric input sample received fromone of the first, second or third biometric sensors 110, 112, 114 to afirst biometric data set stored in the biometric data storage 204. Ifthe first biometric data set matches the biometric sample, then a deviceorientation identifier associated with the first biometric data set isextracted from the biometric data storage. For example, if the firstbiometric data set 502 (see FIG. 5) is associated with the firstorientation, then the corresponding device orientation identifier willidentify the first orientation. If the first biometric data set 502 doesnot match the biometric sample, then the orientation determination tool206 compares the biometric sample to a second biometric data set 504(see FIG. 5) stored in the biometric data storage 204, and so forth,until the biometric sample has been compared to all of the biometricdata sets 502, 506, 510, 512 and a match is found. In some examples, theorientation determination tool 206 causes the biometric sample to beprocessed by the biometric data processor 202 before comparing thebiometric sample to the biometric training data 500. In some suchexamples, the biometric data processor 202 processes the biometricsample by extracting relevant features from the biometric sample. Theorientation determination tool 206 then compares the features extractedfrom the biometric sample to the features included in the biometric datasets 502, 506, 510, 512 until a match is identified.

The example orientation determination tool 206 transmits the deviceorientation identifier corresponding to the matching biometric data setto the example orientation adjustment tool 208 via the examplecommunication bus 312. The orientation adjustment tool 208 compares thedevice orientation identifier to a content orientation identifier thatrepresents an orientation at which information is currently beingpresented on the example display device 104. In some examples, theorientation adjustment tool 208 obtains the content orientationidentifier from the position/input-based orientation controller 108 (seeFIG. 1), as described above. If the comparison yields a match, then thedisplay device 104 is currently presenting information in the sameorientation as the example portable electronic device 100 is positioned.As a result, the orientation adjustment tool 208 does not adjust thecontent orientation. If the comparison does not yield a match, then thedisplay device 104 is currently presenting information in an orientationthat is different from the device orientation. In response to finding amismatch, the orientation adjustment tool 208 changes the contentorientation to be the same as the device orientation. In some examples,the orientation adjustment tool 208 changes/adjusts the contentorientation by transmitting the device orientation identifier to theexample position/input-based orientation controller 108 (see FIG. 1).Upon receiving the device orientation identifier, theposition/input-based orientation controller 108 changes the contentorientation to match the orientation represented by the deviceorientation identifier.

The example portable electronic device 104 (see FIG. 1) having thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 (see FIG. 1 and FIG. 2)disclosed herein may be implemented as a portable telephone, a tabletdevice, a gaming device, a hybrid laptop/tablet device and/or as anyother portable device having a display/screen on which information ispresented for display. The example portable electronic device 104disclosed herein includes the example position/input-based orientationcontroller 108 (see FIG. 2). As a result, the portable electronic device100 can rely on either (or a combination) of position/input-based and/ororientation-based control of information to be presented on the display.Such features could be left to the selection of the user in a settingmenu. In addition, the portable electronic device 104 may instead beimplemented without a position/input-based orientation controller 108.In some such examples, the portable device 104 would rely solely on theorientation-based controller 102 to control the orientation ofinformation presented on the display device 104. Further, in some suchexamples, the orientation-based controller 102 would be configured toreceive the information to be presented for display from the exampledisplay device controller 106, to properly orient the information fordisplay based on biometric information, and to supply the properlyoriented information to the example display device 104.

The example first, second and third biometric sensors 110, 112, 114 maybe implemented using any sensor capable of sensing biometric datafingerprint sensor, an image sensor/camera, a voice sensor, a bodytemperature sensor, etc. Further, the example biometric data processor202 can be configured to process/analyze image data, voice data,temperature data, fingerprint data and, indeed, any biometric datasupplied by the first, second and third biometric sensors 110, 112, 114.Further the example orientation determination tool 206 can be configuredto perform any facial recognition algorithm, voice recognitionalgorithm, fingerprint matching algorithm, temperature algorithm, neededto compare and find matches to the biometric data samples collected fromthe user. In some examples, in which any of the first, second or thirdbiometric sensors 110, 112, 114 are configured to include microphonesand a voice recognition algorithm, the biometric training data sets mayinclude the user's voice pattern as the user speaks words representingthe first orientation, the second orientation, the third orientation,and the fourth orientation.

While an example manner of implementing the portable electronic device100 is illustrated in FIG. 1 and an example manner of implementing thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 is illustrated in

FIG. 2, one or more of the elements, processes and/or devicesillustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may be combined, divided, re-arranged,omitted, eliminated and/or implemented in any other way. Further, theexample display device 104, the example display device controller 106,the example position/input based-orientation controller 108, the examplefirst biometric sensor 110, the example second biometric sensor 112, theexample third biometric sensor 114, the example position/motion sensor116, the example processor 118, the example input device(s) 120, theexample communication device(s) 122, the example memory device(s) 124,the example speaker 126, the example first communication bus 128, theexample biometric data processor 202, the example biometric data storage204, the example orientation determination tool 206, the exampleorientation adjustment tool 208, the example training data builder 210,the example second communication bus 212 and/or, more generally, theexample portable electronic device of FIG. 1 and/or more generally thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 may beimplemented by hardware, software, firmware and/or any combination ofhardware, software and/or firmware. Thus, for example, any of theexample display device 104, the example display device controller 106,the example position/input based-orientation controller 108, the examplefirst biometric sensor 110, the example second biometric sensor 112, theexample third biometric sensor 114, the example position/motion sensor116, the example processor 118, the example input device(s) 120, theexample communication device(s) 122, the example memory device(s) 124,the example speaker 126, the example first communication bus 128, theexample biometric data processor 202, the example biometric data storage204, the example orientation determination tool 206, the exampleorientation adjustment tool 208, the example training data builder 210,the example second communication bus 212 and/or, more generally, theexample portable electronic device of FIG. 1 and/or more generally thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 of FIG. 2 could beimplemented by one or more analog or digital circuit(s), logic circuits,programmable processor(s), application specific integrated circuit(s)(ASIC(s)), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)) and/or fieldprogrammable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)).

When reading any of the apparatus or system claims of this patent tocover a purely software and/or firmware implementation, at least one ofthe example portable electronic device 100, the biometric-basedorientation controller 102, the example display device 104, the exampledisplay device controller 106, the example position/inputbased-orientation controller 108, the example first biometric sensor110, the example second biometric sensor 112, the example thirdbiometric sensor 114, the example position/motion sensor 116, theexample processor 118, the example input device(s) 120, the examplecommunication device(s) 122, the example memory device(s) 124, theexample speaker 126, the example first communication bus 128, theexample biometric data processor 202, the example biometric data storage204, the example orientation determination tool 206, the exampleorientation adjustment tool 208, the example second communication bus212, and the example training data builder 210 is/are hereby expresslydefined to include a tangible computer readable storage device orstorage disk such as a memory, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a compactdisk (CD), a Blu-ray disk, etc. storing the software and/or firmware.Further still, the example portable electronic device 102 of FIG. 1 andthe example biometric-based orientation controller 102 of FIG. 2 mayinclude one or more elements, processes and/or devices in addition to,or instead of, those illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and/or may includemore than one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes anddevices.

Flowcharts representative of example machine readable instructions forimplementing the example portable electronic device 100 of FIG. 1 andthe biometric-based orientation controller 102 of FIG. 2 are shown inFIGS. 7, 8 and 9. In these examples, the machine readable instructionscomprise a program(s) for execution by a processor such as the processor118 shown in the example processor platform 1000 discussed below inconnection with FIG. 10. The program(s) may be embodied in softwarestored on a tangible computer readable storage medium such as a CD-ROM,a floppy disk, a hard drive, a digital versatile disk (DVD), a Blu-raydisk, or a memory associated with the processor 118, but the entireprogram and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executed by a deviceother than the processor 118 and/or embodied in firmware or dedicatedhardware. Further, although the example program is described withreference to the flowcharts illustrated in FIGS. 7-9, many other methodsof implementing the example portable electronic device 100 of FIG. 1 andthe biometric-based orientation controller 102 of FIG. 2 mayalternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocksmay be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed,eliminated, or combined.

As mentioned above, the example processes of FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 may beimplemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer and/or machinereadable instructions) stored on a tangible computer readable storagemedium such as a hard disk drive, a flash memory, a read-only memory(ROM), a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a cache, arandom-access memory (RAM) and/or any other storage device or storagedisk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extendedtime periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarilybuffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, theterm tangible computer readable storage medium is expressly defined toinclude any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage diskand to exclude propagating signals and transmission media. As usedherein, “tangible computer readable storage medium” and “tangiblemachine readable storage medium” are used interchangeably.

Additionally or alternatively, the example processes of FIGS. 7, 8, and9 may be implemented using coded instructions (e.g., computer and/ormachine readable instructions) stored on a non-transitory computerand/or machine readable medium such as a hard disk drive, a flashmemory, a read-only memory, a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, acache, a random-access memory and/or any other storage device or storagedisk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extendedtime periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarilybuffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, theterm non-transitory computer readable medium is expressly defined toinclude any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage diskand to exclude propagating signals and transmission media. As usedherein, when the phrase “at least” is used as the transition term in apreamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same manner as the term“comprising” is open ended.

The program 700 of FIG. 7 provides example operations performed by theexample biometric orientation-based controller 100 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2and begins at block 702 at which the example training data builder 210(see FIG. 2) generates a prompt instructing a user to hold the portableelectronic device 100 (see FIG. 1) in one of the possible orientations(e.g., the first orientation 302 (see FIG. 3), the second orientation304 (see FIG. 3), the third orientation 306 (see FIG. 3), the fourthorientation 308 (see FIG. 3), etc.) and instructs the user to supply abiometric sample while holding the portable device 100 in theorientation. In some examples, the training data builder 210 generatesthe prompt in response to a signal from the example processor 118 (seeFIG. 1). In some examples, the processor 118 sends the signal andadditionally informs the training data builder 210 as to the user'spreferences regarding which of the example set of first, second andthird biometric sensors 110, 112, 114 are to be used to build thebiometric training data. In some examples, the processor 118 sends thesignal and informs the training data builder 210 that the user haselected to activate the training data builder 210 but does not supplyinformation regarding the user's preferred biometric sensor. In somesuch examples, before the training data builder 210 generates the promptinstructing the user to hold the portable electronic device in anorientation, the training data builder 210 generates a promptidentifying all available sensors (e.g., the first, second and thirdbiometric sensors 110, 112, 114) that may be used to control contentorientation. The user can then select one of the biometric sensors 110,112, 114 and the training data builder 210 proceeds to generateprompts/instructions based on the user's selection (e.g., if thefingerprint sensor 110 is selected, prompts having instructions toprovide a fingerprint are generated, if the image sensor 112 isselected, prompts having instructions to provide an image are generated,etc.). In some examples, the user's ability to control the contentorientation using biometric information is included in a menu of devicesettings that the user can turn on or off based on the user'spreferences.

After the prompt to supply biometric data while holding the device in anorientation is generated, the selected one of the example first, secondand third biometric sensors 110, 112, 114 captures the biometric dataand supplies the biometric data to the example training data builder 210(block 704). The training data builder 210 stores the biometric data inthe example biometric data storage 204 (see FIG. 2) as the firstbiometric data set 502 (see FIG. 5) (block 706) and causes the examplebiometric data processor 202 (see FIG. 2) to extract features from thebiometric data which are also stored as part of the biometric data set502 (block 708). In addition, the training data builder 210 causes adevice orientation identifier 504 corresponding to the orientation ofthe device at the time of biometric data capture to be associated withthe biometric data set in the biometric data storage (block 710) and theprogram 700 ends. The training data builder 210 repeats the program 700for each possible orientation of the portable electronic device untilthe biometric training data set 500 is fully populated (e.g., biometricdata has been collected for all possible orientations).

The program 800 of FIG. 8 provides example operations performed by theexample orientation-based controller 102 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 and beginsat block 802 at which the example orientation determination tool 206(see FIG. 2) receives input data (e.g., biometric samples) from thefirst, second and/or third biometric inputs 110, 112, 114 and from thebiometric data storage 204 (e.g., biometric data sets 502, 506, 510,512, device orientation identifiers 504, 508, 514, 516). The orientationdetermination tool 206 causes the biometric sample to be processed bythe biometric data processor (block 804). In some examples, thebiometric data processor processes the biometric sample by extractingrelevant features from the biometric sample. After the biometric samplehas been processed, a counter i is set to 1 (i=1) (block 806). After thecounter i, has been set, the orientation determination tool 206 comparesthe biometric sample (and the features extracted therefrom) to the ithbiometric data set stored in the example biometric data storage 204 (seeFIG. 2) (block 808). Next, the orientation determination tool 206determines whether the ith biometric data set matches the biometricsample (block 810). If the ith biometric data set does not match thebiometric sample, the orientation determination tool 206 increments thecounter i (block 812) and then compares the biometric sample to anotherbiometric data set (e.g., the ith biometric data set) (block 808), asdescribed above. If a match has been found, then a device orientationassociated with the ith biometric data set is extracted from thebiometric data storage (block 814). The orientation adjustment tool 208then compares the extracted device orientation identifier to a contentorientation identifier (block 816). As described above, the contentorientation identifier can be supplied by the exampleposition/input-based orientation controller 108 (see FIG. 1) andidentifies a content orientation at which the display is currentlypresenting information/data. If the comparison yields a match (block818), the example display device 104 (see FIG. 1) is presentinginformation/data in an orientation that aligns with an orientation ofthe portable electronic device 100 such that no adjustment is needed andthe program returns to the block 802 and waits for another biometricsample to be received. If the comparison does not yield a match, thedisplay device 104 is presenting information/data in an orientation thatdoes not align with an orientation of the portable electronic device100. As a result, the orientation adjustment tool 208 causes the contentorientation to be adjusted/changed to match the device orientation. Insome examples, the adjustment is made by transmitting the deviceorientation identifier to the position/input-based orientationcontroller 108. Upon receiving the device orientation identifier, theposition/input-based orientation controller 108 changes the contentorientation to match the orientation represented by the deviceorientation identifier. Next, the program returns to the block 802 atwhich the orientation determination tool 206 awaits receipt of a nextbiometric sample as described above. The program 800 continues toexecute in the manner described, thereby processing incoming biometricsamples and making adjustment so the content orientation, as needed.

The program 900 of FIG. 9 provides example operations performed by theexample portable electronic device 100 (see FIG. 1) when the portableelectronic device 100 is in a locked mode and the display device/screenis dark. The program 900 begins at block 902 at which the exampleorientation determination tool 206 determines whether input data (e.g.,a biometric sample) has been received from one of the first, second orthird biometric sensors 110, 112, 114 (see FIG. 1). If a biometricsample is not yet received, the orientation determination tool 206returns to the block 902 and again determines whether a biometric samplehas been received. In this example, the biometric sample is received,the orientation determination tool 206 uses the biometric sample toobtain a device orientation identifier which is supplied to theorientation adjustment tool 208 for use in adjusting, if needed, thecontent orientation (block 804). The portable electronic device thencauses the display device to present a security verification message(e.g., unlock screen) in an orientation that matches the contentorientation corresponding to the device orientation (block 906) and theprogram 900 ends. Based on the operation of program 900, when theportable electronic device enters a locked mode, the securityverification message is displayed in an orientation that is aligned withthe orientation of the portable electronic device 100 at the time theuser attempts to unlock the portable electronic device 100. Thus, theneed for the user to manually change the orientation of the portableelectronic device 100 until a security verification code can be enteredis eliminated. In some examples, an internal gyroscope included in themotion/position sensors 116 determines the device orientation at theblock 904 and the security verification message is presented in anorientation that matches the device orientation at the block 906. Insome examples, the security verification message is a simple unlockscreen into which the user can enter a numeric (or any other type) code.In some examples, the security verification message is simply a userinterface display. In such examples, the user is presented with a userinterface that matches the device orientation when the device powers on,instead of a user interface that is otherwise oriented.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example processor platform 1000 capableof executing the instructions of FIGS. 7-9 to implement the portableelectronic device 100 of FIG. 1. The processor platform 1000 of theillustrated example includes a processor 118. The processor 118 of theillustrated example is hardware. For example, the processor 118 can beimplemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits,microprocessors or controllers from any desired family or manufacturer.In some examples, the processor 118 can be used to implement the exampleprocessor 118 (see FIG. 1), the example position/input-based orientationcontroller 108 (see FIG. 1), the example display device controller 206(see FIG. 2), the example biometric data processor 202 (see FIG. 2), theexample biometric-based controller 102 (see FIG. 2), the exampleorientation adjustment tool 208 (see FIG. 2), the example biometrictraining data builder 210 (see FIG. 2), the example orientationdetermination tool 206, and the example biometric data processor 202(see FIG. 2).

The processor 118 of the illustrated example includes a local memory1013 (e.g., a cache). The processor 118 of the illustrated example is incommunication with a main memory including a volatile memory 1014 and anon-volatile memory 1016 via a bus 1018. The volatile memory 1014 may beimplemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), DynamicRandom Access Memory (DRAM), RAIVIBUS Dynamic Random Access Memory(RDRAM) and/or any other type of random access memory device. Thenon-volatile memory 1016 may be implemented by flash memory and/or anyother desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 1014,1016 is controlled by a memory controller. In some examples, thevolatile memory 1014, and the non-volatile memory 1016 can be used toimplement the example memory devices 124 (see FIG. 1) and the examplebiometric data storage 204 (see FIG. 2).

The processor platform 1000 of the illustrated example can also includean interface circuit 1020. The interface circuit 1020 may be implementedby any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, auniversal serial bus (USB), and/or a PCI express interface. In someexamples, the interface circuit can be used to implement the examplefirst communication bus 128 (see FIG. 1) or the example secondcommunication bus 212.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 1022 are connectedto the interface circuit 1020. The input devices 1022 can be used toimplement any of the example input devices 120, the example first,second, and third biometric sensors 110, 112, 114, and the display/touchscreen 104.

One or more output devices 1024 can also be connected to the interfacecircuit 1020 of the illustrated example. The output devices 1024 can beimplemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emittingdiode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystaldisplay, emitting diode (LED). The interface circuit 1020 of theillustrated example, thus, typically includes a graphics driver card, agraphics driver chip or a graphics driver processor. The output devices1024 can be used to implement the example display/touch screen 104 (seeFIG. 1) and the example speaker 126.

The interface circuit 1020 of the illustrated example also includes acommunication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, amodem and/or network interface card to facilitate exchange of data withexternal machines (e.g., computing devices of any kind) via a network1026 (e.g., an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL), atelephone line, coaxial cable, a cellular telephone system, a low powerwireless area network, etc.). In some examples, the example interfacecircuit 1020 can be used to implement the example communication devices122 (see FIG. 2).

The processor platform 1000 of the illustrated example also includes oneor more mass storage devices 1028 for storing software and/or data.Examples of such mass storage devices 1028 include floppy disk drives,hard drive disks, compact disk drives, Blu-ray disk drives, RAIDsystems, and digital versatile disk (DVD) drives. In some examples, themass storage device 1028 can be used to implement the example memorydevices 124 and the example biometric data storage 204.

The coded instructions 1032 of FIGS. 7-9 may be stored in the massstorage device 1028, in the volatile memory 1014, in the non-volatilememory 1016, and/or on a removable tangible computer readable storagemedium such as a CD or DVD.

From the foregoing, it will appreciated that methods, apparatus, andarticles of manufacture that have been disclosed herein provide thebiometric-based control of an orientation in which content/informationis presented on a display device. The example methods, apparatus andarticles of manufacture disclosed herein are used to change theorientation of information presented on the display device usingbiometric data collected from a user. Example methods, systems,apparatus and articles of manufacture disclosed herein provide a varietyof advantages. For example, some such methods, apparatus and articles ofmanufacture enhance a user's interactions with a portable device byproviding a more stable and accurate method of tracking changes in theorientation of the device which then results in better control of theorientation of information presented on a display. As a result, the userneed not wait until a position or motion sensor within the portabledevice detects a change in position before a content orientation will beadjusted, but can instead supply a fingerprint, a spoken word, oranother piece of biometric data. In some instances, for example, whenfingerprints are used to control the orientation, the user need not takeany additional steps to supply biometric data to effect control of theorientation as the fingerprint is supplied each time the user touches aninput button. In some instances, for example, when facial images areused to control the device, the user need not take any additional actionto supply biometric data as the camera can be configured toautomatically scan the user's face to determine the orientation of thedevice relative to the user. Further, in some examples, the portabledevice 100 can be configured to include both position/motion sensors andbiometric sensors. In some such examples, the position/motion sensor maybe configured to supply a signal to the biometric-based orientationcontroller 102 whenever any movement is detected. In response, thebiometric-based orientation controller 102 can be configured to detectthe facial image of the user and subsequently use the image to determinewhether the orientation of the display needs to be changed. In some suchexamples, the biometric-based orientation controller 102 can cause aprompt to be displayed on the display device 104 instructing the user tosupply a fingerprint. The biometric-based orientation controller 102 canthen use the fingerprint to determine whether the orientation of thedisplay needs to be changed. Thus, the biometric-based orientationcontroller 102 disclosed herein can supplement the orientation controlprovided by the position/input-based orientation controller 108.Moreover, the biometric-based orientation tool 102 disclosed herein canbe used when a portable device is in a lock mode wherein the contents ofthe device are not accessible to the user. As a result, when the userpresses a button to unlock the portable electronic device, the user'sfingerprint is detected and used to determine whether any adjustments tothe content orientation are needed. In some examples, the adjustment ismade before a security verification message is displayed such that thesecurity verification message appears in an orientation that matches thedevice orientation. Further, biometric-based orientation methodsdisclosed herein enhance the user's interaction with the portableelectronic device by eliminating the need for the user to move theportable device into an orientation that matches a content orientationand also eliminating the need or to periodically jiggle the portableelectronic device to activate position/motion sensors. In addition,biometric-based orientation controllers disclosed herein can also beused to authenticate the identity of the user based on the collectedbiometric data, thereby eliminating the need for the user to enter asecurity code when attempting to unlock a portable device.

A plurality of example methods, apparatus, and articles of manufactureare disclosed herein. Example no. 1 is a portable electronic devicehaving a display device, a biometric sensor to capture a biometricsample, and an orientation determination tool. The orientationdetermination tool is to determine a device orientation of at least oneof the display device and the portable electronic device relative to auser based on the biometric sample. The portable electronic device ofExample no. 1 also includes an orientation adjustment tool to change acontent orientation in which the display device of the portableelectronic device presents content based on the determination of thedevice orientation of the at least one of the display device and theportable electronic device.

Example no. 2 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 1,wherein the biometric sensor is at least one of a fingerprint sensor oran image sensor.

Example no. 3 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 1,wherein the portable electronic device is at least one of a portabletelephone or a hybrid tablet/laptop device.

Example no. 4 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 1,wherein the biometric sensor is to capture the biometric sample inresponse to an input command to activate the display device of theportable electronic device.

Example no. 5 is the portable electronic device of Example No. 1,further including a biometric training tool. The biometric training toolis to store a plurality of biometric data sets and corresponding deviceorientation identifiers. In Example no. 5, the orientation determinationtool is to determine the device orientation based on a comparison of thebiometric sample to at least one of the biometric data sets.

Example No. 6 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 5,wherein the orientation adjustment tool is to store a contentorientation identifier representing the content orientation.

Example no. 7 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 6,wherein the orientation adjustment tool is to compare the contentorientation identifier to a device orientation identifier. The deviceorientation identifier corresponds to a matching one of the biometricdata sets. In Example no. 7, the orientation adjustment tool is tochange the content orientation when the content orientation identifierdoes not match the device orientation identifier.

Example no. 8 is a method to change a content orientation in which adisplay device presents content based on biometric information andincludes capturing, with a biometric sensor, a biometric sample, andcomparing, with at least one processor executing an instruction, thebiometric sample to a stored biometric data set. The biometric data setcorresponds to a portable device orientation. The method of Example no.8 also includes changing the content orientation, based on the comparingof the biometric sample to the biometric data set.

Example no. 9 is the method of Example no. 8 wherein the biometric dataset is a first biometric data set. The method further includes capturinga plurality of biometric data sets associated with respective ones of aplurality of portable device orientations, and storing the plurality ofbiometric data sets in association with a plurality of portable deviceorientation identifiers identifying the respective ones of the pluralityof portable device orientations.

Example no. 10 is the method of Example no. 9, further includingprompting a user to enter a first biometric data set of the plurality ofbiometric data sets while holding the portable electronic device in afirst portable device orientation relative to the user.

Example no. 11 is the method Example no. 9, wherein comparing of thebiometric sample to the biometric data set includes identifying a firstbiometric data set of the plurality of biometric data sets. The firstbiometric data set matches the biometric sample, the method alsoincludes storing a first portable device orientation identifiercorresponding to the first biometric sample as a current portable deviceorientation.

Example no. 12 is the method of Example no. 11, wherein the changing ofthe content orientation includes comparing the current portable deviceorientation to the content orientation. Further, the method of Exampleno. 12 also includes, when the current portable device orientation andthe content orientation are different, changing the content orientationto match the current portable device orientation.

Example no. 13 is the method of Example no. 8, wherein the contentorientation is a first content orientation and the changing of the firstcontent orientation includes changing from the first content orientationto a second content orientation.

Example no. 14 is a tangible machine readable storage medium storinginstructions which, when executed, cause a machine to identify aportable device orientation at which a portable device is orientedrelative to a user, based on a biometric sample, and compare theportable device orientation to a content orientation at which a displaydevice of the portable electronic device is currently presentingcontent. The instructions also cause the machine to, based on thecomparison of the portable device orientation and the contentorientation, change the content orientation.

Example no. 15 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 14, wherein the instructions to identify the portable deviceorientation includes comparing the biometric sample to a plurality ofbiometric data sets, and identifying a portable device orientationidentifier corresponding to the biometric data set that matches thebiometric sample.

Example no. 16 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 15, wherein comparing the portable device orientation to thecontent orientation includes comparing the portable device orientationidentifier to a content orientation identifier representing the contentorientation at a current time.

Example no. 17 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 16, wherein the content orientation is changed when thecontent orientation identifier does not match the portable deviceorientation identifier.

Example no. 18 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 16, wherein the content orientation is not changed when thecontent orientation identifier matches the portable device orientationidentifier.

Example no. 19 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 14, wherein the portable device orientation is a firstportable device orientation of a plurality of portable deviceorientations. In Example no. 19, the instructions further cause themachine to prompt a user to supply biometric training data while holdingthe portable electronic device in a plurality of corresponding portabledevice orientations including the first portable device orientation, andstore at least some features of the biometric training datacorresponding to the portable device orientations including the firstportable device orientation as corresponding biometric data sets.

Example no. 20 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 14, wherein the biometric sensor is at least one of afingerprint sensor or an image sensor.

Example no. 21 is the portable electronic device of Example 1 or Example2, wherein the portable electronic device is at least one of a portabletelephone or a hybrid tablet/laptop device.

Example no. 22 is the portable electronic device of any of Example nos.1, 2, or 3, wherein the biometric sensor is to capture the biometricsample in response to an input command to activate the display device ofthe portable electronic device.

Example no. 23 is the portable electronic device of any of Example nos.1, 2, 3, or 4, further including a biometric training tool. Thebiometric training tool is to store a plurality of biometric data setsand corresponding device orientation identifiers. In Example no. 23, theorientation determination tool is to determine the device orientationbased on a comparison of the biometric sample to at least one of thebiometric data sets.

Example no. 24 is the portable electronic device of any of Example nos.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein the orientation adjustment tool is to storea content orientation identifier representing the content orientation.

Example no. 25 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 24,wherein the orientation adjustment tool is to compare the contentorientation identifier to a device orientation identifier. In Exampleno. 25, the device orientation identifier corresponds to a matching oneof the biometric data sets, and the orientation adjustment tool is tochange the content orientation when the content orientation identifierdoes not match the device orientation identifier.

Example no. 26 is the method of any of Example nos. 8, 9, 10, and 11,wherein the content orientation is a first content orientation and thechanging of the first content orientation includes changing from thefirst content orientation to a second content orientation.

Example no. 27 is the tangible machine readable storage medium ofExample no. 15, wherein comparing of the portable device orientation tothe content orientation includes comparing the portable deviceorientation identifier to a content orientation identifier representingthe content orientation at a current time.

Example no. 28 is the tangible machine readable medium of Example no.16, wherein the content orientation is changed when the contentorientation identifier does not match the portable device orientationidentifier.

Example no. 29 is the tangible machine readable medium of any of Examplenos. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19, wherein the biometric sensor is at leastone of a fingerprint sensor or an image sensor.

Example no. 30 is a machine readable medium including code, whenexecuted, to cause a machine to perform the method of any of Examplenos. 8, 9, 10 or 11.

Example no. 31 is a portable electronic device including means todisplay content, means to capture a biometric sample, means to determinea device orientation of the portable electronic device relative to auser based on the biometric sample, and means to change a contentorientation in which the content is displayed based on the determinationof the device orientation of the portable electronic device.

Example no. 32 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 31,wherein the biometric sample is at least one of a fingerprint or animage.

Example no. 33 is the portable electronic device of any of Example nos.31, or 32, wherein the portable electronic device is at least one of aportable telephone or a hybrid tablet/laptop device.

Example no. 34 is the portable electronic device of any of Example nos.31, or 32, wherein the biometric sample is captured in response to aninput command to activate the means to display content.

Example no. 35 is the portable electronic device of any of Example nos.31, or 32, further including means to store a plurality of biometricdata sets and corresponding device orientation identifiers, wherein themeans to determine the device orientation of the portable electronicdevice relative to the user is based on a comparison of the biometricsample to at least one of the biometric data sets.

Example no. 36 is the portable electronic device of Example no. 35,wherein the means to change the content orientation is to compare thecontent orientation identifier to a device orientation identifier. InExample no. 36, the device orientation identifier corresponds to amatching one of the biometric data sets, and the means to change thecontent orientation is to change the content orientation when thecontent orientation identifier does not match the device orientationidentifier.

Example no. 37 is a machine-readable storage including machine-readableinstructions, when executed, to implement a method or realize anapparatus as claimed in any preceding Example.

Example no. 38 is a portable electronic device including a displaydevice, a biometric sensor to capture a biometric sample, and anorientation determination tool to determine, based on the biometricsample, a first content orientation in which content is presented on thedisplay device relative to a user. The portable device further includesan orientation adjustment tool to change the first content orientationto a second content orientation based on the determination of the firstcontent orientation.

Although certain example methods, apparatus and articles of manufacturehave been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is notlimited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods,apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope ofthe claims of this patent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable electronic device comprising: adisplay device; a biometric sensor to capture a biometric sample; anorientation determination tool to determine a device orientationrelative to a user based on the biometric sample; and an orientationadjustment tool to change a content orientation in which the displaydevice of the portable electronic device presents content based on thedetermination of the device orientation.
 2. A portable electronic deviceas defined in claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor is at least one of afingerprint sensor or an image sensor.
 3. A portable electronic deviceas defined in claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is atleast one of a portable telephone or a hybrid tablet/laptop device.
 4. Aportable electronic device as defined in claim 1, wherein the biometricsensor is to capture the biometric sample in response to an inputcommand to activate the display device of the portable electronicdevice.
 5. A portable electronic device as defined in claim 1, furtherincluding a biometric training tool, the biometric training tool tostore a plurality of biometric data sets and corresponding deviceorientation identifiers, and the orientation determination tool is todetermine the device orientation based on a comparison of the biometricsample to at least one of the biometric data sets.
 6. A portableelectronic device as defined in claim 5, wherein the orientationadjustment tool is to store a content orientation identifierrepresenting the content orientation.
 7. A portable electronic device asdefined in claim 6, wherein the orientation adjustment tool is tocompare the content orientation identifier to a device orientationidentifier, the device orientation identifier corresponding to amatching one of the biometric data sets, and the orientation adjustmenttool is to change the content orientation when the content orientationidentifier does not match the device orientation identifier.
 8. A methodto change a content orientation in which a display device presentscontent based on biometric information, the method comprising:capturing, with a biometric sensor, a biometric sample; comparing, withat least one processor executing an instruction, the biometric sample toa stored biometric data set, the biometric data set corresponding to aportable device orientation; and based on the comparing of the biometricsample to the biometric data set, changing the content orientation.
 9. Amethod as defined in claim 8, wherein the biometric data set is a firstbiometric data set, the method further including: capturing a pluralityof biometric data sets associated with respective ones of a plurality ofportable device orientations; and storing the plurality of biometricdata sets in association with a plurality of portable device orientationidentifiers identifying the respective ones of the plurality of portabledevice orientations.
 10. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein themethod further includes prompting a user to enter a first biometric dataset of the plurality of biometric data sets while holding the portableelectronic device in a first portable device orientation relative to theuser.
 11. A method as defined in claim 9, wherein the comparing of thebiometric sample to the biometric data set includes identifying a firstbiometric data set of the plurality of biometric data sets, the firstbiometric data set matching the biometric sample, and storing a firstportable device orientation identifier corresponding to the firstbiometric sample as a current portable device orientation.
 12. A methodas defined in claim 11, wherein the changing of the content orientationincludes comparing the current portable device orientation to thecontent orientation and, when the current portable device orientationand the content orientation are different, changing the contentorientation to match the current portable device orientation.
 13. Amethod as defined in claim 8, wherein the content orientation is a firstcontent orientation and the changing of the first content orientationincludes changing from the first content orientation to a second contentorientation.
 14. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprisinginstructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least: based ona biometric sample, identify a portable device orientation at which aportable device is oriented relative to a user; compare the portabledevice orientation to a content orientation at which a display device ofthe portable electronic device is currently presenting content; andbased on the comparison of the portable device orientation and thecontent orientation, change the content orientation.
 15. A tangiblemachine readable storage medium as defined in claim 14, wherein theinstruction to identify the portable device orientation includes:comparing the biometric sample to a plurality of biometric data sets,and identifying a portable device orientation identifier correspondingto the biometric data set that matches the biometric sample.
 16. Atangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, whereincomparing the portable device orientation to the content orientationincludes comparing the portable device orientation identifier to acontent orientation identifier representing the content orientation at acurrent time.
 17. A tangible machine readable storage medium as definedin claim 16, wherein the content orientation is changed when the contentorientation identifier does not match the portable device orientationidentifier.
 18. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined inclaim 16, wherein the content orientation is not changed when thecontent orientation identifier matches the portable device orientationidentifier.
 19. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined inclaim 14, wherein the portable device orientation is a first portabledevice orientation of a plurality of portable device orientations, andthe instructions further cause the machine to: prompt a user to supplybiometric training data while holding the portable electronic device ina plurality of corresponding portable device orientations including thefirst portable device orientation; and store at least some features ofthe biometric training data corresponding to the portable deviceorientations including the first portable device orientation ascorresponding biometric data sets.
 20. A tangible machine readablestorage medium as defined in claim 14, wherein the biometric sensor isat least one of a fingerprint sensor or an image sensor.